Car-coupling.



E. L. NORRIS.

CAR GOUPLING.

APPLIOATION PILED JULY17,1912.

1,063,935, Patented June 3,1913.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

lPatented June 3, '1913.

Application filed July 17, 1912. Serial No. 709,938.

'1'0 (ZZZ 'whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, lilnwann LnasoN Non` ins, a citizen of the United States, residingr at Georgiana, in the county of Butler and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following' to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled :in the art to Which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to car couplers, and has for its purpose to provide a construction having` few parts, which will effectively cooperate to relieve the pivot pin of the knuckle of all strain, and wherein the coupling will securely hold in the possible event of diisplacement of said pin.

The invention further contempla'tes a coupling of the automatic type having; a novel form of looking means for the knuekle, which is manually controllable to ci'l'ect the unlocking and opening of the knuckle; and which may be set to permit of freedom of movement of said knuckle.

lVith these and other objects in view' the .invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Refer-ring to the accompanying;` drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals desig'nate like parts in all the views :--Figure 1 is a top plan view of the coupling in section, and showing the locking mechanism thereof in elevation; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the coupling', with parts in elevation; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on a reduced scale, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and looking' in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a similar view showing' the looking device in released position; and Fig'. 5 is a detail perspective view of the knuckle.

Referring` to the construction in detail, 1 designates the draw-head formed integral with the draw-bar 2, and having a pair of jaws 3 and a guard arm 11. The knucltle 5 is pivotally mounted between the jaws 3 on a belt, or pivot pin, 6. Said knuckle 5 is constructed with a shank portion 7 terminating in a tail piece 8, as clearly shown in hi". 5.

To the end that the knuckle will Sccurely hold in position, in the possible event of displacement of 'the pivot pin (S, the tail piece 8 of said knuckle is formed with a groove, or recess, S) adaptcd to engage with a similarly designed rib or projection 10, formed on the upper jaw 3; and a rib 01' projection 11 formed on the underside of the tail piece 8 engages in a groove or recess 12 foru'icd on the lower jaw 3, as illustrated in Fig'. n. ln providing the co'uplino; with the interlocking` elements just described, it will be readily seen that the knuckle 5 will be prcvented from being' displaced at its pivotal point in the possible event of loss of the p'ivot pin 0.

The looking' device for the knuckle consists of a bolt 13, that is mounted to have substantial freedom of movement in a lateral and vertical direction within the recess chamber X tlforn'ied in the draw-head 1. taii'l bolt is constructed with a shoulder 14:, which abuts against the end 15 of the tail piece S and holds the knuckle in looked position by reason of having engagement with a shoulder 1G formed on the inner side of the d rawhead. Said bolt 13 is further provided with a curvcd tongue 17, whose function to engage with the curved surface of the tail piece S, and cause the knuckle 5 to be turned on its pivot to open position when the bolt 13 is moved laterally, z'. e., from the position shown in F 3 to that position shown in Fig'. 4:. The rccess X is constructed with a pocket Y, which provides the necessary space for receiving the bolt 13 when the same shifted in the manner just stated.

The belt 13 is provided with a key 18, which is constructed with a head 19 on its upper end, an enlarged portion 20 on its lower end, and the portion between said head and enlarged portion being' reduced and passing` through an clong'atcd slot 21 formed in the bolt 13. Said slot 21 has portions of its opposite ends beveled, so that the key 18 will rest thereon in that position shown in Fig'. 3, and in order that the bolt may be read ily engaged for lifting` by the enlarged portion 20 when the key is raised by the nnuiually actuated chain 22.

The bolt 13 and key 18 are adapted to be `readily disassembled, in the possible event of breakage of either of the parts, since the enlarged end 20 of the key 18 may be readily inserted through the slot 21 by being turned edgewise, or in alinement with said slot, as will be understood; and to effect the removal of the lockino` device from the chamber or recess of the draw-head, said draw-head has one wall thereofprovided with an opening Z through which the parts may be passed." r

The means for manually actuating the locking device consists of the lifting bar 23 having one end thereof attached to the cha-in 22, and 'Which is provided with a handle or arm 24. A block 25 having a beveled face provides a supporting member for holding the bar 23 in a partly raised position for a purpose to be presently stated.

The manner of operation of the coupling when in use is as followsz-The raising of the lifting bar 23 will cause the bolt 13 to be moved by the key 18 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, and said movement of the bolt will cause the surfaces 14 and 15 of the bolt and tail piece to become disengaged, thus unlocking the knuckle, and said movement also will cause the knuckle to be turned on its pivot to open position by reason of the tongue 17 engaging with the curved surface of the tail piece 8, as before stated. If cars are desired to be brought together, but not coupled, it is necessary only to partially lift, the bolt 13, where its position may be secure by reason of the lever 24 resting on the support 25, when the abutting surface 14 of the bolt will be raised clear of the end 15 of the tail piece and consequently allow the knuckle 15 to be turned. freely on its pivot. As soon as the lever 24 is disengaged from the support 25, the chain 22 is thereby slackened to permit the bolt 13 freedom from the constraint of the key 18, whereupon, upon closing of the knuckle, the tail-piece S engages with the tongue 17 to move the bolt endwise until the same falls by gravity from the position indicated in Fig. 4 to that indicated in Fig. 3, drawing the key 18 down, as shown. If attempt is now made to open the knuckle, it will be found that the surface 15 coacts with the surface 14 to form a looking connection, the bolt 13 being held fast by reason of engagement against the shoulder 16.

Automatic looking may be eifected between couplers, the bolts of which are already in locking position or in that position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, by action of the cam surface 26 on the tail-piece 8 engaging under the side of the bolt so that the latter may ride up upon said cam surface and permit the passage of the tail-piece. After the tail-piece passes within the recess X beyond the shoulder 14, the bolt immediately drops down and looking of the parts is eifected.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arsaid bolt having a tongue adapted to engage with the tail-piece to open said knuckle; a headed key having a reduced intermediate shank engaging loosely through the slot in said bolt, said key adapted to assume a slanting position through the slot in said bolt when the latter is in looking position engaging against said shoulder; and means for actuating said key to first draw the same upwardly thereby raising said bolt to clear said shoulder and release said knuckle, and secondly to cause the key to assume a vertical position whereby said bolt is moved transversely to open said knuckle.

2. In a car coupler, the combination of a draw-head having a recess therein; a shoulder located in the recess; a knuckle pivoted in said draw-head and having a tail-piece adapted to project into the recess; a slotted knuckle-locking bolt disposed in the recess and engaging against said shoulder when in looking position, said bolt having a tongue for engaging with the tail-piece to open said 100 knuckle; a key for operating said bolt comprising a shank engaging loosely through the slot in said bolt, a head formed at the upper end of said shank, and flanges on said key below said shank and adapted to engage 105 with the under side of said bolt to raise the same vertically when said key is actuated to release the knuckle, said key also adapted to engage against the end wall of the slot in said bolt to slide said bolt horizontall-y when the latter has cleared the shoulder in the recess to open said knuckle, and means for actuating said key.

3. In a car coupler, the combination of a draw-head having a recess therein and an opening in the top of said draw-head communicating with the recess; a shoulder in the recess; a knuckle pivoted in said drawhead and having a tail-piece adapted to project into the recess; a slotted bolt disposed in the recess and adapted to engage against said shoulder to lock said knuckle, said bolt having a tongue for engaging with the tailpiece to open the knuckle; a key for operating said bolt comprising a shank engaging loosely through the slot in said bolt, a head formed at the upper end of the shank, and flanges on said key below the shank and adapted to assume a slanting position ,through the slot in said bolt when thelatter isi1'1z11ook111gposition; andInoansonguging Tn f'cslvinmny wheroof, I :1fl`1x my signaw1th tho head of smd key and jpassmg L111'o,111p1-ose11oo oi' two 'wmmssoa throuo'h the oponino' in tho top of said dmww 1 P v I I'. head ztao draw said ltgey up into a vertical po- LDVVAh'D LLA'ON NOhRlb' sition Whoroby said bolt may be raised to W1L11essos: clear szud shoulder and moved honzontnlly G. Donns, to open smd knuckle. li. W. Palma.

Copiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner o! Patentl, Washington, I). G." 

